All Apple Roads Began With Design

I didn't know how to pay tribute to Apple CEO and visionary Steve Jobs, who died at age 56 on October 5. Then I finally figured it out. Here now a personal history of Apple in my life. All photos courtesy webdesignerdepot.com, unless otherwise indicated.

Thank you, Mr. Jobs.

The first Macintosh I ever worked on. As a writer and editor, it was a godsend: easy to configure and use.

Next came the LC II, which I loved 'cause it was named for me!

Towers dominated magazine publishing for years. They got progressively sleeker and more powerful.

As a freelance writer, I needed a Mac at home. My choice: the lime. Delicious and fun. A cousin inherited it after I moved to the MacBook. She used it until it wouldn't turn on anymore.

The only thing I didn't like about my beloved Lime Machine was the mouse.

Wanted one of these clamshell MacBooks, but waited too long. . . .

. . . and ended up with the colorless but more powerful update. My brother inherited this one when his HP laptop died after only a year. He killed this one too, but it took a lot longer.

I wanted a faster machine without the tower, so it was back to the iMac, this time a 20" beauty. Five years later, it's still going strong, but Lion is biting at my heels. . . . (courtesy kolimbo.com)

I had an earlier version of the iPod, but adored my G5 Classic.

The Shuffle remains the perfect workout companion.

Somewhere out there, my G5 iPod is still mourning our separation. But I had a new love: the iPod Touch.

When Verizon finally got its hand on the iPhone, I started counting down, in minutes, to my upgrade. Worth the wait. (courtesy digitaltrends.com)

Still don't like the name, but want it bad just the same: the iPad 2. (courtesy wondrouspic.com)

Yes, Mr. Jobs, you sold me on the MacBook Air. It's my next Apple machine. (courtesy blogsdna.com)